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IPC cuts family ties

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IPC SouthBank has announced that the December issue of Family Circle is to be its last.

The mature women’s monthly, which launched in 1964, has been struggling to compete in the market despite a number of revamps. The title is selling about a third of what it did ten years ago – down to 112,597 in the last ABCs period.

The announcement ahead of next week’s ABCs, due 17 August, suggests the IPC title has taken a further tumble in circulation figures. The closure may only the tip of the iceberg for monthly publications which are expecting serious sales drops generally in the period.

IPC said it was currently in consultation with those affected and that "every effort will be made to find alternative jobs".

IPC SouthBank managing director Jackie Newcombe said: “Family Circle in its heyday was one of Britain’s biggest selling monthlies but sales have been in decline for some time. Despite numerous attempts to reinvigorate the title, the time has come for us to accept the market has moved on. Rather than continue to invest in this title, it is with much regret that we have to conclude that Family Circle’s future is untenable.”